The Makings of a Safe Car

By: David Maillie

Over the years, the minimization of vehicular related accidents
has been gaining ground. In fact, different sectors of society
have contributed to ensure that motorists should be protected
from unnecessary road mishaps. The government, car
manufacturers, and even motorists and passengers themselves have
been conscientious about this, making plans and creating devices
in order to decrease the possibility of road hazards.

There have been countless pieces of legislation enacted by the
government in order to ensure the reduction of vehicular
accidents. The government has enacted a law about the use of
seatbelts. There is also a prescribed speed limit for vehicles.
Even the use of alcoholic beverages has been banned if a person
has been designated to drive a vehicle. Car manufacturers, on
the other hand, have devised various ingenious mechanisms to
reduce the impact of collision and accidents. Brakes, tires, air
bags, safety belts, seat belts are among the many things added
into a car to ensure the safety of its users and passengers.
These and many others are cautious steps and devices designed in
order to curb road and vehicular accidents.

However, safety is not only limited to external factors and
other people's acts. It also requires a personal undertaking on
the part of the car owner to ensure car safety. A car owner can
maintain a good and safe vehicle by regularly making safety
inspections on its various parts. Checking the brakes, ensuring
that the seatbelts are still intact, recharging or changing the
batteries are ways that could prevent car collisions or other
similar accidents.

One of the more important parts of the car to consider are the
headlights. Good headlights are considered a vital safety
feature for driving at night and even in places where there are
poor lighting conditions. Headlights provide a better view of
the road and its adjacent sites. A good headlight, therefore,
gives the motorist an advantage to foresee any possible road
distractions that lies ahead.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety mentions that an average
of 9 out of 10 cars has seedy or cloudy headlights. With seedy
or cloudy headlights, night vision is reduced to a drastic
percentage up to 90 percent, according to Road and Travel
Magazine. Having cars with cloudy headlight affects the car's
ability to clearly see the road. This, in turn, is responsible
for poor vision, which could result in a vehicular accident. An
effective way to tackle this problem is through using a quality
headlight cleaner / restorer. It has been reported that many
road accidents result from inadvertence. People fail to strap
their seatbelts while driving cars. This results to almost 50
deaths due to road crashes every year. Even the simple acts of
checking the tires and brakes have been constantly ignored that
have caused pointless accidents. These things and many others
could have been averted had the car owners been more responsible
in checking and ensuring car maintenance.

Car safety does not end in finding the perfect or safest car.
Purchasing a safer vehicle is merely the start of being a
responsible car owner. The key to having a safe vehicle is the
act of treating and ensuring that the entire vehicle is a safe
machine. The act requires a mentality of viewing the different
features as an entire team working together to prevent collision
and to protect its occupants. By knowing each part's
characteristic and mechanism, there is a more proactive approach
to the prevention of vehicular mishaps. It only takes a positive
disposition, an informed choice, and regular maintenance.